Adventures in Awesomeness

Talk long enough with seasoned anglers and eventually you’ll hear someone say, “there’s an art to fly fishing.” That’s a curiously poetic phrase. They’re usually talking about technique, presentation or tying, but it’s interesting to see the correlation one makes between angler and artist. The Black Gnats are equally interested in this connection, so we’ve started a recurring section called “The Art of Fly Fishing” to highlight the unique stories and individuals that bring these two worlds together. This week’s featured artist is …

Jay Talbot

Like a lot of people, we came across Jay’s artwork through his feed on Instagram. We’ve been admiring his artwork and posts for a while and just had to get an interview with him. Jay quit the mortgage business in October of 2014 to pursue a life as a fish artist. We reached out to Jay by email for this week’s “Art of Fly Fishing” interview with the Black Gnats.Continue reading →

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This video came across our YouTube feed today and it was just too good not to share. I know it’s not fly fishing (sorry to the purists out there … we embrace almost all kinds of fishing) but the quality of the video footage and editing is second only to the compelling, heartwarming story behind it. And – my personal favorite part – the video is a GoPro geek’s wet dream! So many awesome angles and shots. The long pan with the aerial drone at the end is just perfect!

From the video description:

Professional angler and family man, Brent Ehrler, displays the mastery of his trade in the desert landscape of Southern California. Watch as he takes his young son, Ollie, on one of his first fishing adventures, and passes on the legacy of his sport.

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Last Wednesday, April 1, Garrick and I threw on our waders with Josh & Josh to help the PA Fish and Boat Commission stock Stony Creek in Dauphin, PA. After proving we were sober enough to float, we wasted no time bringing buckets of fish to the float basket and started spreading them throughout the creek. This stocking provided Stony Creek with ample fish for Opening Day. Thanks to the Fish Commission and to the volunteers who turned out for the stocking!

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The Tarponville Lodge is a full-service fishing lodge located on the Caribbean side of Costa Rica just above the Panama boarder. They specialize in large tarpon in shallow water primarily fishing from a Panga using floating or intermediate sink lines and casting to pods of working fish.

There are also opportunities for Bonefish, Permit, Trigger and other species on a few nice flats in the area. Other fishing opportunities include Tuna, Dorado, Jacks and Sailfish offshore and Snook and Snapper in the lagoons. For more info check out www.tarponville.com!

Talk long enough with seasoned anglers and eventually you’ll hear someone say, “there’s an art to fly fishing.” That’s a curiously poetic phrase. They’re usually talking about technique, presentation or tying, but it’s interesting to see the correlation one makes between angler and artist. The Black Gnats are equally interested in this connection, so we’ve started a recurring section called “The Art of Fly Fishing” to highlight the unique stories and individuals that bring these two worlds together. This week’s featured artist is …

Jameson Hawn

Jameson is the owner/artist behind Riverbend Woodworks in Bellingham, WA. What started as a necessity has turned into a profitable and fun business for him and his clients. Jameson’s specialty is creating reproductions of catches to serve as stand-alone pieces, or to be incorporated into woodworking items, such as coffee tables, end tables, and furniture. His attention to detail is incredible and his finished products are breathtaking. We chatted with Jameson by email and Facebook for this week’s “Art of Fly Fishing” interview with the Black Gnats.Continue reading →

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Norbert Renaud is a pike enthusiast from across the pond in Ireland. He runs the L’île Verte fishing lodge, has an unhealthy obsession with pike and musky, and can tie some seriously sick flies. Here’s his version of the trout streamer “Gandalf,” set to the sweet tunes of James Brown. We happen to love the way this one is edited together.

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Talk long enough with seasoned anglers and eventually you’ll hear someone say, “there’s an art to fly fishing.” That’s a curiously poetic phrase. They’re usually talking about technique, presentation or tying, but it’s interesting to see the correlation one makes between angler and artist. The Black Gnats are equally interested in this connection, so we’ve started a recurring section called “The Art of Fly Fishing” to highlight the unique stories and individuals that bring these two worlds together. This week’s featured artist is …

Josh Udesen

Josh Udesen is many things – an educator, an accomplished fishing artist, a fly fishing guide and an outdoor and travel enthusiast. His guiding credentials include the Bristol Bay region of Southwest Alaska (Tikchik Narrows Lodge) and six summers of guiding on the Deschutes River in Central Oregon. His teaching background includes a stint as a high school studio art teacher in Anchorage, Alaska, as well as a high school career teaching History and Comparative Religions at Riverstone International School in Boise, Idaho. Josh also has some of the coolest and most respected art in the sport of fly fishing. He’s one of only a few artists to be commissioned by Montana Fly Company and has his artwork featured on many of their accessories, including flasks, gaitors, fly boxes, reels, and much more. Josh was kind enough to answer our questions for another installment of the “Art of Fly Fishing” with the Black Gnats.Continue reading →

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Check out this awesome video shot and edited by Austin Weinstein called “Dairies of a Musky Addict.” Fellow Pennsylvania fly guy and friend of The Black Gnats – Ty Loomis (of Keystone Fly Fishing) – has a cameo!

“Diaries of a Musky Addict” is the teaser to a documentary called “Pursuing Esox: Pike, Musky, and Pickerel On The Fly.” The documentary explores the cultural phenomena surrounding the world of Esox (a generic etymological name for the Greek word pike) fishing on the fly — the tying, the boats, the people, and their obsessive lifestyles.